Ducks tie franchise mark with 11th straight home win, beat Blues 4-2

St. Louis Blues' Jaden Schwartz (9) falls to the ice as Anaheim Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf watches during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

2013-03-10 22:50:00

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Bobby Ryan took the long skate back to the bench after his penalty led to a power-play goal against the Anaheim Ducks.

Scoring the tying goal en route to the Ducks' 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night made the bad feelings disappear quickly.

Ryan was serving a tripping penalty for upending Roman Polak in the third period when Patrik Berglund scored 24 seconds into the power play to give the Blues the lead.

"When you're sitting over there and you're helpless and you can't really do anything about it, then you have that long skate across the ice when they score, it's the worst feeling in hockey," Ryan said. "I think the entire bench thought it was probably one of the worst calls that's happened to us this year. I took it personally and I felt I needed to redeem myself.

"It's nice how things went after that."

Ryan got the equalizer when he jumped on a loose puck in front and whipped his eighth goal of the season past Jaroslav Halak. Francois Beauchemin earned one of his three assists on the goal, taking a long slap shot that bounced off Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf's backside.

"It was the best pass I made all night, I think," Getzlaf said.

Ryan did his best impersonation of Alex Ovechkin after the goal, skating past the net and leaping against the glass in jubilation while the sellout crowd went wild.

"There was a lot of emotion there," said Ryan, who tied a career best with a seven-game point streak. "I think the penalty fueled that a little bit. I was really fired up and had a lot of energy."

Perry scored the go-ahead goal with 14:40 left before adding an empty-netter in the final minute, and Jonas Hiller made 14 of his 29 saves in the second period.

Andrew Cogliano had a short-handed goal, helping the Ducks improve the NHL's second-best record to 18-3-3. Anaheim, 15-2-2 in its last 19 games, hasn't lost at home since the opener against Vancouver.

"We're going out every night and playing the same type of hockey, whether we're on the road or at home," Getzlaf said. "We're just trying to stay consistent throughout the whole season."

Polak was off for tripping Saku Koivu when Perry parked himself at the right of the crease, and Getzlaf's screened wrist shot from the top of the right circle glanced off him and past Halak for a 3-2 lead—his fifth game-winner this season.

"It feels good," Perry said. "Everybody here knows what's going on and the role they're supposed to be playing, and everyone is adapting to it. We're staying positive when we get down in games, whether it's early—or like tonight, in the third period.

"We find a way to win."

In a game featuring teams that came in with the NHL's top two power-play units, the league-leading Ducks were 1 for 7. St. Louis was 1 for 3 and surrendered a short-handed goal for the fourth time this season.

Shortly after coming up empty on a two-man advantage, the Ducks tied it 1-1 at 8:24 of the second period with a power-play goal.

"That's a tired team," Ryan said. "At times we were five feet away, and at other times we were in the right spot but just couldn't really get a hold of anything. But if you continue to stick to it, it'll eventually come around."

Coming off consecutive shutout wins for the fifth time in franchise history, the Ducks fell behind 1-0 at 6:09 of the first when Reaves redirected Wade Redden's wrist shot from the left point past Hiller's stick for his first of the season.

Redden's assist was the fourth point in 15 games for the two-time All-Star defenceman.

"When we get a 2-1 lead in the third, we expect to win. And when we don't, these are the ones we shake our head at," Blues captain David Backes said. "I don't think fatigue or playing yesterday is an excuse. I think if anything, we were more ready for this game than usual.

"We got a one-goal lead in the third on a power play. Those are the times when you buckle down, and you can't take your foot off the gas."

NOTES: The Ducks have never posted three straight shutouts in the regular season, but did it in the 2006 playoffs. ... Anaheim had an 11-game home winning streak in the 2009-10 season. ... Free agent C Jason Arnott, who has been skating with the Blues this week, will find out Monday whether he will be signed. Arnott last played in the NHL on April 30 with the Blues in the second game of the Western Conference semifinals. ... The Blues are 3 for 29 on the power play in their last 11 games. ... The Ducks are 8-0 against Central Division teams. ... Anaheim C Nick Bonino was dressed for the game, but didn't play because of the flu. RW Kyle Palmieri missed his fourth straight game because of an upper body injury. ... Blues LW Andy McDonald missed his seventh game because of an injured left knee. He sat out 51 games last season due to a concussion.